KR20190092588A - Battery structures, interconnects, systems and methods for sensing and balancing - Google Patents

Abstract

Exemplary systems and methods enable efficient and reliable placement, assembly, maintenance, interconnection, and management of battery cells in battery packs, such as battery packs used in electric vehicles.

Description

Battery structures, interconnects, systems and methods for sensing and balancing

Cross Reference to Related Application

This application claims the priority and benefit of US Provisional Application No. 62 / 440,102, filed December 29, 2016, entitled “Battery Structures, Interconnects, Systems and Methods for Sensing and Balancing”. The entire contents of the foregoing applications are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

The present disclosure relates to battery interconnect systems and methods, and in particular to interconnect systems and methods for battery packs.

The battery pack contains a large number of batteries (also referred to as cells). The cells are interconnected in parallel and / or in series to achieve the desired current and voltage performance for the battery pack. Often, a large number of cells are interconnected to obtain the desired power from the battery pack. Conventional approaches to interconnecting cells, in particular vehicle applications, include welding or soldering the first wire to the positive terminal of the cell and the second wire to the negative terminal. The other ends of these wires are connected to another wire or bus bar, thus combining the cells in parallel / serial. However, this conventional approach is time consuming and undesirable variability in manufacturing. In addition, the use of wire harnesses for voltage sensing, temperature sensing and cell balancing is often unreliable and a common point of failure. Thus, there is still a need for an improved system and method for interconnecting cells of a battery pack.

In an exemplary embodiment, an interconnect assembly for electrically connecting a plurality of cells of a battery pack includes: a first plate comprising a first window; A first tab associated with a first window, comprising: a first tab configured to connect a first plate to a first terminal of a cell of a plurality of cells of a battery pack; Second window; And a second plate parallel to the first plate and at least partially overlapping the first plate. The second plate is a third window aligned with the first window, wherein the first tab extends through the third window; A fourth window aligned with the second window; And a second tab associated with the fourth window, the second tab configured to connect the second plate to the second terminal of the cell. The first plate is physically separated from the second plate, the first plate is electrically connected to the second plate through at least one of the plurality of cells, the first terminal has a first polarity, and the second terminal is second Has polarity.

In another exemplary embodiment, the electrical system includes an interconnect assembly that includes a first plate and a second plate. The first plate comprises a first plate segment and a second plate segment, and the second plate comprises a third plate segment and a fourth plate segment. The electrical system further includes a battery pack including a plurality of cells including a first group of cells, a second group of cells, and a third group of cells. The interconnect assembly is connected to an upper portion of the plurality of cells, each cell of the plurality of cells comprising a first terminal of a first polarity and a second terminal of a second polarity.

In another exemplary embodiment, the interconnect assembly electrically connects the plurality of cells of the battery pack, wherein the plurality of cells comprises a first group of cells, a second group of cells, and a third group of cells, wherein The connector assembly includes a first plate and a second plate. The first plate forms a series connection between the first group of cells and the second group of cells. The second plate forms a series connection between the second group of cells and the third group of cells. The first and second plates are electrically connected to the plurality of cells through tabs extending into windows within each plate.

The subject matter of this subject matter can be understood as a simplified introduction to the disclosure and is not intended to be used to limit the scope of any claim.

Reference is made to the following description, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawings.
1A illustrates an example electrical system that includes an interconnect assembly and a battery pack, according to an example embodiment.
1B illustrates components of an interconnect assembly in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
2A shows an isometric view of an interconnect assembly (not shown) and a battery pack, according to an exemplary embodiment.
2B shows an isometric view of the contents of FIG. 2A, according to an exemplary embodiment.
2C shows an isometric view of a first current transfer plate according to an exemplary embodiment.
2D shows an isometric view of a first interconnect plate according to an exemplary embodiment.
2E shows an isometric view of a second current transfer plate according to an exemplary embodiment.
2F shows an isometric view of a second interconnect plate according to an exemplary embodiment.
3A and 3B illustrate cross sectional, partial, and isometric views of an interconnect assembly and a battery pack, showing positive tabs connected to a battery cell, according to an exemplary embodiment.
3C and 3D show cross-sectional, partial, isometric views of an interconnect assembly and a battery pack, showing negative tabs connected to battery cells, according to an exemplary embodiment.
3E illustrates a cross sectional, partial, isometric view of an interconnect assembly, showing alternating patterns of positive and negative tabs, according to an exemplary embodiment.
3F shows an exploded, partial, isometric view of a current carrying plate aligned with an interconnect plate, according to an exemplary embodiment.
3G shows an isometric view of the interconnect assembly of FIG. 2A, showing overmolding, according to an exemplary embodiment.
3H illustrates a partial top view of an interconnect assembly, where the battery cell can be partially viewed through a portion of the interconnect assembly, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
3I shows a partial bottom view of an interconnect assembly, with some battery cells shown in place and other battery cells omitted to show negative and positive tabs, according to an exemplary embodiment.
4A illustrates electrical connections and paths within interconnect assemblies in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.
4B illustrates a plate component of an interconnect assembly having positive and negative terminals on a common end of the interconnect assembly, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.
4C illustrates a plate component of an interconnect assembly having positive and negative terminals on opposite ends of the interconnect assembly, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.
4D illustrates a first current carrying plate of the interconnect assembly of FIG. 4C in accordance with various example embodiments.
4E illustrates a first interconnect plate of the interconnect assembly of FIG. 4C in accordance with various example embodiments.
4F illustrates a second current carrying plate of the interconnect assembly of FIG. 4C, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.
4G illustrates a second interconnect plate of the interconnect assembly of FIG. 4C in accordance with various example embodiments.
5A and 5B illustrate various fuse designs for a tap, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
6 illustrates a cutaway side view of a portion of an interconnect assembly and a battery pack, with a thermistor positioned between two adjacent battery cells, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.
7A illustrates a cell coupling tab for an interconnect assembly in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.
FIG. 7B illustrates the cell coupling tab of FIG. 7A coupled to the current carrying plate of the interconnect assembly, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.
FIG. 7C illustrates the placement and coupling of the cell coupling tab of FIG. 7A to the current carrying plate of the interconnect assembly, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.
8A and 8B illustrate interconnect assemblies coupled to socket bus bars, according to various example embodiments.
9 illustrates a side cutaway view of an interconnect assembly constructed in accordance with the principles of printed circuit board (PCB) fabrication, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.
10A illustrates a top view of a portion of an interconnect assembly in accordance with various example embodiments.
10B shows a cutaway side view showing a layer of an interconnect assembly in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.
10C shows a view of a portion of an interconnect assembly, showing tabs coupled to a battery cell, in accordance with various example embodiments.
FIG. 10D illustrates a side view of a layer of an interconnect assembly, showing tabs bent out of the plane of the layer to facilitate coupling to a battery cell, according to various example embodiments.
10E illustrates a window disposed within a conductive plate of an interconnect assembly with a tab for connection to a positive terminal of a battery cell extending into the window, according to various example embodiments.
FIG. 10F illustrates a window disposed within an insulating layer of an interconnect assembly, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments, such window having a shape corresponding to that of FIG. 10E.
FIG. 10G illustrates a window disposed within a conductive plate of an interconnect assembly with a tab for connection to a negative terminal of a battery cell extending into the window, according to various example embodiments.
FIG. 10H illustrates a window disposed within an insulating layer of an interconnect assembly, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments, such window having a shape corresponding to that of FIG. 10G.
10I illustrates a conductive plate of an interconnect assembly in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, wherein the conductive plate consists of a plurality of windows and corresponding tabs.
FIG. 10J shows a top view of a portion of an insulating layer of an interconnect assembly, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments, wherein the insulating layer has a plurality of windows disposed therein.
11A illustrates an isometric exploded view of the components of an interconnect assembly, according to an exemplary embodiment.
11B shows the tabs of the interconnect assembly prior to further processing of the tabs in preparation for connection to the negative electrode of the battery cell, according to an exemplary embodiment.
11C shows the tab of the interconnect assembly prior to further processing of the tab for coupling to the positive electrode of the battery cell, according to an exemplary embodiment.
11D shows windows and tabs of an interconnect assembly, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, each tab being processed for coupling to a portion of the battery cell.
11E illustrates a conductive plate of an interconnect assembly in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
11F shows a perspective view of a portion of the conductive plate of the interconnect assembly, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, wherein the tab has been processed for coupling to the portion in the corresponding battery cell.
11G shows a perspective view of a conductive plate of an interconnect assembly having tabs coupled to a portion of a battery cell, according to an exemplary embodiment.
12A illustrates a conductive plate of an interconnect assembly in contact with the positive poles of a parallel group of battery cells, according to an exemplary embodiment.
12B illustrates a conductive plate of an interconnect assembly in contact with the negative electrodes of a parallel group of battery cells, according to an exemplary embodiment.
12C illustrates a conductive plate of an interconnect assembly in contact with a positive electrode of a first parallel group of battery cells and in contact with a negative electrode of a second parallel group of battery cells, to make a series connection therebetween, according to an exemplary embodiment. Illustrated.
13A is in contact with the negative electrode of the first portion of the first parallel group of battery cells and with the positive electrode of the first portion of the second parallel group of battery cells to make a series connection therebetween, according to an exemplary embodiment. The conductive plate of the interconnect assembly is shown.
FIG. 13B is in contact with the cathode of the second portion of the first parallel group of battery cells shown in FIG. 13A to make a series connection therebetween, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment; The conductive plate of the interconnect assembly is shown in contact with the anode of the second portion of the parallel group.
13C is in contact with the negative electrode of the first portion of the first parallel group of battery cells and with the positive electrode of the first portion of the second parallel group of battery cells to make a series connection therebetween, according to an exemplary embodiment. The conductive plate of the interconnect assembly is shown.
FIG. 13D is a second contact of the battery cell shown in FIG. 13C and in contact with the negative electrode of the second portion of the first parallel group of battery cells shown in FIG. 13C to make a series connection therebetween, according to an exemplary embodiment. The conductive plate of the interconnect assembly is shown in contact with the anode of the second portion of the parallel group.
FIG. 13E is a second contact of the battery cell shown in FIG. 13C in contact with the negative electrode of the third portion of the first parallel group of battery cells shown in FIG. 13C to make a series connection therebetween, according to an exemplary embodiment. The conductive plate of the interconnect assembly is shown in contact with the anode of the third portion of the parallel group.
14A illustrates a conductive layer of an interconnect assembly formed by a set of single layers of conductive plates, according to an exemplary embodiment.
14B shows a conductive layer of an interconnect assembly formed by a set of two layers of conductive plates, according to an exemplary embodiment.
14C illustrates a conductive layer of an interconnect assembly formed by a set of three layers of conductive plates, according to an exemplary embodiment.
15A illustrates two conductive layers in an interconnect assembly, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, each conductive layer formed by a set of two layers of conductive plates.
FIG. 15B illustrates one of the conductive layers in the interconnect assembly shown in FIG. 15A, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, wherein such conductive layer is disposed on top of a group of battery cells.
FIG. 15C illustrates another conductive layer in the interconnect assembly shown in FIG. 15A, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, wherein the conductive layer is disposed on top of a group of battery cells.
FIG. 15D shows a top view of the two conductive layers of the interconnect assembly shown in FIG. 15A coupled to a group of battery cells to form a parallel and series connection between, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 16A illustrates a first set of conductive plates for forming a conductive layer in an interconnect assembly, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, wherein the conductive plate has a particular window having tabs therein and a particular window having no tabs therein. Has a different window.
FIG. 16B shows a second set of conductive plates for forming a conductive layer in an interconnect assembly, according to an exemplary embodiment, wherein the second set of conductive plates is for the first set of conductive plates of FIG. 16A. It has windows with and without a complementary array of tabs.
16C shows a first set of conductive plates of FIG. 16A and a second set of conductive plates of FIG. 16B, coupled to the top of each other and thus forming a conductive layer in the interconnect assembly, according to an exemplary embodiment. do.
17A illustrates a conductive plate in an interconnect assembly configured for use as a positive end of an interconnect assembly, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 17B illustrates a conductive plate in an interconnect assembly configured for use as a positive end of the interconnect assembly and configured to couple to or on top of the conductive plate of FIG. 17A, according to an example embodiment.
17C illustrates the conductive plate of FIG. 17A and the conductive plate of FIG. 17B coupled on top of each other to form a positive end of the interconnect assembly, according to an exemplary embodiment.
17D illustrates a conductive plate in an interconnect assembly configured for use as the negative end of the interconnect assembly, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 17E illustrates a conductive plate in an interconnect assembly configured for use as a negative end of the interconnect assembly and configured to couple to or on top of the conductive plate of FIG. 17D, according to an example embodiment.
FIG. 17F illustrates the conductive plate of FIG. 17D and the conductive plate of FIG. 17E coupled at the top to each other to form a negative end of the interconnect assembly, according to an exemplary embodiment.
18A and 18B illustrate a voltage sensing board for use in connection with an interconnect assembly, according to an example embodiment.
19A and 19B illustrate temperature sensing ribbons used for connection with battery cells in a battery pack, according to various example embodiments.

The following description is merely directed to various exemplary embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure in any way. Instead, the following description is intended to provide a convenient illustration for implementing various embodiments, including the optimal mode. As will be apparent, various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in such embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

For brevity, conventional techniques for battery pack construction, configuration and use, as well as conventional techniques for wiring, interconnecting, operating, measuring, optimizing and / or controlling battery cells, may not be specifically described herein. have. In addition, the connection lines shown in the various figures included herein are intended to represent exemplary functional relationships, electrical connections / relationships, and / or physical couplings between the various elements. It should be noted that in an actual system or related method of use, there may be many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections, for example in an interconnect assembly for a battery pack for an electric vehicle.

By using battery packs, interconnect components, and related components constructed in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, various disadvantages of conventional battery interconnect systems can be addressed. For example, conventional interconnect systems typically include connecting metal strips or wires for each cell. This approach is time consuming in manufacturing and can introduce unacceptable levels of variability in the manufacturing process. In addition, conventional connection systems typically use wire harnesses for cell balancing as well as voltage and temperature measurements; The manufacture and assembly of such harnesses introduces high failure rates, low overall reliability and longevity of the system.

In contrast, the example systems and methods disclosed herein allow for improved battery cell interconnect within a battery pack by the use of an interconnect assembly. The interconnect assembly may have a plurality of conductive layers, such as a second interconnect layer arranged in parallel with the first interconnect layer and the first interconnect layer. The two interconnect layers may be electrically insulated from one another at several points (eg, through one or more insulating layers), electrically coupled to one another at several points, and may be overmolded to form a package. . The interconnect layer may comprise a plurality of fragments, and such fragments may be constructed in a manner that is at least partially overlapping (eg, in a manner similar to the “running bond” style in which bricks overlap). . The interconnect assembly is disposed over the plurality of cells, and tabs of the interconnect assembly are connected to the positive and negative terminals of each cell, respectively. In some demonstrative embodiments, the interconnect assembly is described as an overmolded package. In another exemplary embodiment, the interconnect assembly is described as a stack of current carrying plates (configured without being laminated).

In addition, the exemplary systems and methods disclosed herein maintain and accurately position a battery cell in place (both before and after collection) at the same end as the electrical connection of the cell. In addition, the interconnect assembly may, in an exemplary embodiment, detect the various conditions associated with the battery pack (eg, detect heat, voltage, and / or current) and transmit the sensed information to the battery management system. Contains a trace for reporting to. The tab can also be configured to function as a fuse to protect the cell and / or battery pack as a whole. The interconnect assembly can also provide electrical connections suitable for parallel cell balancing.

Interconnect systems in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure may be comprised of any suitable component, structure, and / or element to provide the desired dimensional, mechanical, electrical, chemical, and / or thermal properties. .

As used herein, a “battery pack” is any number of batteries, interconnected in series or in parallel or in a combination of series and parallel, to provide energy storage and / or power to the system as a single integrated unit. Describe the set of cells. An example of a battery pack may be an electric vehicle lithium-ion battery pack, which may consist of thousands of cylindrical lithium ion battery cells.

As used herein, a "battery cell" (or "cell") describes an electrochemical cell capable of producing electrical energy from a chemical reaction. Some battery cells can be recharged by the introduction of current through the cell. The battery cell is based on the chemical reaction used to generate the current, with lead-acid, nickel cadmium, nickel hydrogen, nickel metal hydride, lithium ions, or sodium nickel chloride (also known as "zebra"). Like, different types. Because battery cells produce electricity based on chemical reactions, the temperature of the cells can affect the efficiency of electricity production. The battery cell may also be a fuel cell, such as a hydrogen-oxide proton exchange membrane cell, a phosphate cell, or a solid acid cell. The principles of the present disclosure may preferably be applied to a wide variety of battery cell types, and are not limited to specific battery cell chemistries, sizes, or configurations.

Each battery cell may include a positive terminal and a negative terminal. In an exemplary embodiment, the positive and negative terminals are closely located with each other. For example, positive and negative terminals can be located on the same end of the battery cell (ie, the end proximate the interconnect assembly). In one exemplary embodiment, a positive pole (positive electrode or positive terminal) may be located at the top center of the cylindrical battery cell and a negative pole (negative electrode or negative terminal) It may be located on the top outer edge of the cell (also known as a shoulder ") or on the outer" can "of the cell. Also, any suitable arrangement of positive and negative terminals at or near the proximal end of the battery cell is contemplated in this disclosure.

Referring now to FIG. 1, in various example embodiments, the electrical system 100 includes a battery pack 110 and an interconnect assembly 120. Interconnect assembly 120 may be located primarily on one side of battery pack 110 and is electrically coupled to the battery pack. In some demonstrative embodiments, the interconnect assembly 120 may also be configured to support and / or hold cells of the battery pack 110 structurally in place with respect to the interconnect assembly 120 and / or with respect to each other. Can be.

The electrical system 100 can further include a load 190 and / or can be coupled to the load. The load 190 may be, for example, an electric motor or other electrical component in the vehicle. In addition, the load 190 may be any suitable electrical component. The interconnect assembly 120 may be selectively electrically coupled to the load 190 via a power connector 135 configured to transfer power from the battery pack 110 to the load 190 (or vice versa). . In addition, in various exemplary embodiments, any suitable number of, within the electrical system 100, to achieve a desired level of energy storage, continuous current supplied at a particular voltage, and / or the like, for example. It will be appreciated that the battery pack 110 and corresponding interconnect assembly 120 may be used in series and / or parallel arrangement. Accordingly, the electrical system 100 may be configured with various bus bars, terminals, and / or other configured to transfer power from one or more battery packs 110 and / or to one or more battery packs through corresponding interconnect assemblies 120. It can be configured as.

Electrical system 100 may further include a power source 170 and / or may be coupled to a power source. Power source 170 may include, for example, a plug-in charger for a vehicle, fuel cell, or any suitable source of power. In an exemplary embodiment, power source 170 is connected to interconnect assembly 120 and / or load 190 via power connector 135. Interconnect assembly 120 may be further configured to transfer power from power source 170 to a cell in battery pack 110. It should be noted that in various embodiments, an electric motor may be used as a brake, thereby generating power for charging the cells of the battery pack 110. The foregoing is merely an example configuration and the interconnect assembly 120 may be electrically connected to the load and / or power source in any suitable manner and using any suitable switching, connection, and control device.

The electrical system 100 can further include (and / or be coupled to) a battery management system (“BMS”) 140. Interconnect assembly 120 may be in signal communication with BMS 140. The BMS 140 controls, manages, monitors, and / or otherwise controls the operation and behavior of the battery pack 110, such as controlling charging, discharging, balancing, and others for cells within the battery pack 110. It can be configured to. In addition, the BMS 140 may control any suitable aspect regarding the charging, storage, and discharging of the battery pack 110 and the use of power in the electrical system 100. The BMS 140 may be integral with the interconnect assembly 120; Alternatively, BMS 140 may be coupled to interconnect assembly 120 via a connector cable or other suitable electrical connection.

In an exemplary embodiment, interconnect assembly 120 includes a first layer 121 and a second layer 122. In another exemplary embodiment, the interconnect assembly 120 further includes an optional sensing layer 123. According to various exemplary embodiments, the first layer 121, the second layer 122, and / or the sensing layer 123 (described in greater detail below) are parallel to each other and at least partially perpendicular to each other. It is mainly located in overlapping planes. As described in more detail herein, the first layer 121 and the second layer 122 are connected to the terminals of the various cells of the battery pack 110. Thus, the first layer 121 and the second layer 122 are configured to be electrically connected to the terminals of the cells of the battery pack 110 and to conduct current from and to these cells.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first layer 121 may include a first current transfer plate 151 and a first interconnect plate 152. The first current carrying plate 151 is oriented parallel to the first interconnect plate 152 and at least partially overlaps the first interconnect plate. The first current transfer plate 151 is electrically connected to the first interconnect plate 152. For example, these two plates 151, 152 may be connected along at least some of their overlapping surfaces. In one exemplary embodiment, the two plates 151, 152 overlap so that they are contacted along their overlapping, opposing surfaces, and thus electrically connected along a bulk of the overlapping, opposing surfaces. Is matched. The first current carrying plate 151 and the first interconnect plate 152 may be coupled together via any suitable method, such as cladding, welding, soldering, and / or the like. Similarly, the second layer 122 may include a second current transfer plate 161 and a second interconnect plate 162 that are oriented and electrically contacted as described with respect to the first layer 121. have.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first and second current carrying plates 151, 161 are generally thicker than the first and second interconnect plates 152, 162, respectively. For example, the first and second current transfer plates 151, 161 may have a battery pack 110 without limiting excessive resistance loss, overheating, or power input or output of a cell including the battery pack 110. It may be thick enough to carry the maximum desired current associated with the operation of. However, it will be appreciated that the first and second current carrying plates 151, 161 may also be thinner (or may be configured to a similar thickness) than the first and second interconnect plates 152, 162. will be. Also, in some embodiments, one or more of the first and second current carrying plates 151, 161 or the first and second interconnect plates 152, 162 are formed of multiple layers of material. Also, in some exemplary embodiments, the first current carrying plate 151 and the first interconnect plate 152 may comprise one, monolithic plate; Similar structures may be used for the second current carrying plate 161 and the second interconnect plate 162. As will be described in further detail below, it will be appreciated that other exemplary embodiments may be configured to include one or more current carrying plates that have no "thinner" interconnect plates, but instead have thin tabs. .

In some exemplary embodiments, the first and second current carrying plates 151, 161 are configured to a thickness of about 0.3 millimeters (mm) to about 2.0 mm. In addition, any suitable thickness may be used for the current transfer plates 151, 161 to transfer the desired amount of current without generating excessive heat. In addition, the first and second interconnect plates 152, 162 may be configured to a thickness of about 0.05 (mm) to about 0.3 mm. Also, for example, easy interconnection, to facilitate the desired current carrying capacity, the connection of the tab to the cell (eg, laser welding, spot welding, wire bonding, the use of conductive adhesives), and / or other In order to provide any suitable thickness can be used.

In an exemplary embodiment, the first and second interconnect plates 152, 162 are connected to a conventional electrical connection (ie, between the battery cells of the battery pack 110 and the first and second interconnect plates 152, 162). Electrical connection). For example, the first and second interconnect plates 152, 162 may be made by brazing, cladding, soldering, spot welding, ultrasonic welding, laser welding, wire bonding, using conductive adhesives, and / or the like. It may be thin enough to allow electrical connection. In an exemplary embodiment, the first current carrying plate 151 is thicker than the first interconnect plate 152. Similarly, in this exemplary embodiment, the second current carrying plate 161 is thicker than the second interconnect plate 162. In other exemplary embodiments, the plate thickness may vary as noted above.

In various exemplary embodiments, and as further described below with respect to FIGS. 10D and 11A and 11B, the first interconnect plate 152 may be integrally formed with the first current transfer plate 151. Can be. In another exemplary embodiment, the first interconnect plate 152 is formed separately from the first current transfer plate 151 and then coupled thereto. The first current carrying plate 151 and / or the first interconnect plate 152 may be made of any suitable electrically conductive material, for example copper, aluminum, nickel, and / or the like, or combinations thereof, and / or alloys thereof. It may include. In some demonstrative embodiments, the first current carrying plate 151 comprises aluminum and the first interconnect plate 152 comprises nickel. In this way, the first interconnect plate 152 may comprise a material configured to assist electrical connection with the cells in the battery pack 110, while the first current transfer plate 151 has a minimum loss of current It includes a material configured to help bulk transfer. Similar approaches can be used for plates 161 and 162.

Further, in the exemplary embodiment, the thicknesses of the first and second current carrying plates 151, 161 do not depend on the thickness limitations associated with connecting the interconnect layers to the cells of the battery pack 110. This is not the case if the first layer 121 is not made of two layers (ie, plates 151, 152), but instead of only one layer. Stated differently, the first and second layers so that the total current capacity for each of these layers does not depend on the thickness (and / or current-carrying capacity) of the tabs associated with how the tabs are connected to the battery terminals. 121 and 122 are configured. In addition, in an exemplary embodiment, each of the first layer 121 and the second layer 122 is generated in the first and / or second layers 121, 122 due to the resistive heating effect in that layer. To reduce or eliminate any cooling need due to heat, two layers of selected thickness are included.

Further, electrical system 100 may include any other suitable component configured to support, guide, modify, and / or otherwise manage and / or control the operation of electrical system 100 and / or its components. have. The interconnect assembly 120 can be used to make solid electrical contact with the cells of the battery pack 110, provide flexibility in assembling the cells in various parallel / serial configurations, and battery cells May be held in place, the characteristics of the battery pack 110 may be sensed, and / or the like.

2A shows an isometric view of interconnect assembly 220 and battery pack 210 (not overmolding shown). The battery pack 210 includes a plurality of cells 211. For example, the illustrated battery pack 210 includes 300 cells 211, but the battery pack 210 may include any suitable number of cells 211. In an exemplary embodiment, each cell 211 is a cylindrical cell with terminals located at the proximal end of the cell 211 (ie, the end proximate to the interconnect assembly 220). Cell 211 may be of any other suitable shape, as desired.

Interconnect assembly 220 may further include positive tab 228 and negative tab 229. This power tap electrically connects interconnect assembly 220 to power connector 135, load 190, and / or power source 170.

2B shows an isometric exploded view of example interconnect assembly 220 and battery pack 210. In this exploded view, the first layer 121 is shown as an 'top layer' with a 'top thick' first current carrying plate 151 and a 'top thin' first interconnect plate 152. Similarly, second layer 122 is shown as a 'bottom layer' with a 'bottom thick' second current carrying plate 161 and a 'bottom thin' second interconnect plate 162.

As described above, interconnect assembly 220 may further include a sensing layer 123. In an exemplary embodiment, the sense layer 123 includes a lead frame. In another exemplary embodiment, the sense layer 123 includes a printed circuit board. In another exemplary embodiment, the sense layer 123 includes a flexible printed circuit board. In addition, the sensing layer 123 may include any structure suitable for extending the signal wire or trace 124 in at least partially substantially planar manner to various locations on the interconnect assembly 220. Sensing layer 123 may comprise a sensor and / or sense information (eg, Data) can be configured to be connected to the sensor. Sensing layer 123 may, for example, carry signals from thermistors located near one or more cells 211 to communication connector 125. Similarly, sense layer 123 can measure, for example, the voltage of a group (or groups) of parallel cells 211 in battery pack 210, cell 211 balancing, and / or the like. Connections to the first layer 121 and the second layer 122 may be provided at various locations. Communication connector 125 may be configured to facilitate communication with BMS 140 and / or other components of electrical system 100. The sensing layer 123 is disposed generally parallel to the first layer 121 and the second layer 122. In addition, a sensing layer 123 (or portions thereof) may be positioned above, between, and / or below the first layer 121 and the second layer 122.

2C, 2D, 2E, and 2F illustrate the first current transfer plate 151, the first interconnect plate 152, the second current transfer plate 161, and the second interconnect plate 162. Each isometric view is shown. In FIG. 2C, the first current carrying plate 151 includes more than one current carrying plate fragment. The first current carrying plate 151 may comprise any suitable number of current carrying plate segments. For example, the first current transfer plate 151 may include six current transfer plate fragments 151A, 151B, 151C, 151D, 151E, and 151F. Fragments of the first current transfer plate 151 may be structurally separated components of the first current transfer plate 151. As described in more detail herein, the first current transfer plate 151 fragment may be electrically connected in series, in parallel, and / or interwoven with the fragment of the second current transfer plate 161. In an exemplary embodiment, the current transfer plate fragment 151A has a negative connection point 229 and the current transfer plate fragment 151F has a positive connection point 228. These connection points may be configured as tabs or other structures suitable for connecting interconnect assembly 120 to other electrical components of electrical system 100. When interconnect assembly 120 is coupled to battery pack 110, first current transport plate piece 151A has the largest negative potential, and current transport plate piece 151F has the highest positive potential. Have The first current transfer plate 151 is configured to be in electrical communication with the first interconnect plate 152 to transfer power between the cell 211 and the connection point 228/229. The first current transfer plate 151 includes a plurality of windows. Such a window may not have obstacles and, accordingly, may allow access to objects below the window of the first current transfer plate 151 through the window.

In FIG. 2D, the first interconnect plate 152 includes more than one interconnect plate fragment. The first interconnect plate 152 can include any suitable number of interconnect plate fragments. For example, the first interconnect plate 152 may include six interconnect plate segments 152A, 152B, 152C, 152D, 152E, 152F. The interconnect plate fragments may be structurally separate components of the first interconnect plate 152. The first interconnect plate 152 piece may be electrically connected to the corresponding current transport plate piece of the first current transport plate 151. The first interconnect plate 152 further includes tabs that are bent, angled, and / or oriented to form a lead suitable for connecting to the positive or negative terminal of the cell 211. The first interconnect plate 152 includes a plurality of windows. The first subset of such windows may have no obstructions, and thereby allow access to objects below the window of the first interconnect plate 152 through the window. The second subset of these windows may include tabs. In an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of windows includes a pair of windows, each pair corresponding to cell 211. The choice as to which of the pairs of windows will include tabs will determine whether such tabs are connected to the positive or negative terminals of cell 211. In an exemplary embodiment, in any one of the first interconnect plate 152 fragments, all the tabs are in contact with the same polarity terminal of the cell 211. However, in another exemplary embodiment, a single interconnect plate 152 piece may have a first group of tabs contacting the negative terminals of the cell 211 and a second group of tabs contacting the positive terminals. . In another exemplary embodiment, the plurality of windows includes one window per cell 211; In this exemplary embodiment, each window includes both a tab or tabs for connection to the cell 211, as well as an unobstructed portion that allows access to an object under the window.

Referring now to FIG. 2E, in various exemplary embodiments, the second current carrying plate 161 includes more than one piece of current carrying plate. The second current carrying plate 161 may comprise any suitable number of current carrying plate segments. For example, the second current carrying plate 161 may include five current carrying plate segments 161A, 161B, 161C, 161D, and 161E. The current transfer plate fragments may be structurally separate components of the second current transfer plate 161. As described in more detail herein, the current transfer plate fragment comprising the second current transfer plate 161 is mixed in series, in parallel with the current transfer plate fragment including the first current transfer plate 151, And / or a combination thereof.

The second current transfer plate 161 is configured to be in electrical communication with the second interconnect plate 162 in order to transfer power between the cell and the second current transfer plate 161. The second current transfer plate 161 includes a plurality of windows. Such a window may not have obstacles, thereby allowing access to an object under the window of the second current transfer plate 161 through the window, such that the tab from the first interconnect plate 152 may have a second current. It may be brought into contact with the cell 211 through the transfer plate 161. In some cases, it should be noted that the current transport plate fragment of the second layer 122 exactly overlaps the current transport plate fragment of the first layer 121. However, in other embodiments, the plate fragments from the first layer 121 overlap with two or more plate fragments from the second layer 122 or vice versa. For example, the current transfer plate fragment 161A overlaps the portions of 151A and 151B, the current transfer plate fragment 161B overlaps the portions of 151B and 151C, and the current transfer plate fragment 161C is the portion of 151C and 151D. Overlap portion, current transfer plate fragment 161D overlaps portions of 151D and 151E, current transfer plate fragment 161E overlaps portions of 151E and 151F.

Referring now to FIG. 2F, the second interconnect plate 162 includes more than one interconnect plate fragment. The second interconnect plate 162 may comprise any suitable number of interconnect plate fragments. For example, the second interconnect plate 162 may comprise five interconnect plate segments 162A, 162B, 162C, 162D, 162E. The interconnect plate fragments may be structurally separate components of the second interconnect plate 162. The interconnect plate fragment may be electrically connected to the corresponding current transfer plate fragment of the second current transfer plate 161. The second interconnect plate 162 further includes a tab bent to form a lead suitable for connecting to the positive or negative terminal of the cell 211. The second interconnect plate 162 includes a plurality of windows. The first subset of such windows may have no obstructions, and thereby allow access to objects below the window of the second interconnect plate 162 through the window. The second subset of these windows may include tabs. In an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of windows includes a pair of windows, each pair corresponding to cell 211. The choice as to which of the pairs of windows will include tabs will determine whether such tabs are connected to the positive or negative terminals of cell 211. In an exemplary embodiment, in any one of the interconnect plate fragments, all the tabs are in contact with the same polarity terminal of the cell 211. However, in another exemplary embodiment, a single interconnect plate piece may have a first group of tabs in contact with the negative terminal of the cell 211 and a second group of tabs in contact with the positive terminal. In addition, for each pair of windows in the first interconnect plate 152, a pair of opposing windows is present in the second interconnect plate 162 such that each pair has only one window with tabs, The positions are located opposite each other so as not to interfere with each other, and one of the two plates is connected to the positive terminal of the cell by such a tab and the other of the two plates is connected to the negative terminal by the tab. Referring briefly to FIG. 3H, although the window has been described above as being a “pair,” a configuration in which a single window covers the area of the “pair” of the window can likewise be used; It will also be appreciated that a combination of paired windows and single windows may also be used.

In an exemplary embodiment, there are two power connections to the interconnect assembly 120, positive connections and negative connections. Both connections may be located at the first end of the interconnect assembly, for example as shown in FIGS. 2C and 4B. In another embodiment, for example in an interconnect assembly 120 as shown in FIG. 4C (the individual layers are shown in FIGS. 4D, 4E, 4F, and 4G), the positive connection is one The negative connection is located on the other end. In an exemplary embodiment, both the positive and negative connections may be on the first current transfer plate 151 or the second current transfer plate 161. However, in other embodiments, the positive connection may be on one of the two current carrying layers and the negative connection may be on the other. In addition, the interconnect assembly 120 is configured to allow additional power and / or voltage sensing connections, such as monitoring, charging, discharging, and the like, for a subset of the cells 211 in the battery pack 110. Can be provided within.

Within the 'stack' of one window, all of the windows in the first and second layers 121, 122 may be approximately the same size, but the tabs may pass through and access to make a connection. In some cases changes may be possible. The open window in the lower layer is configured to allow tabs from the upper thin layer to extend through the lower layer to the battery below the lower layer. In order to connect / couple the tabs in the upper thin layer and the lower thin layer to respective cell terminals, an open window is configured to allow access from above, through the upper and lower layers.

Referring now to FIG. 6, in connection with various exemplary embodiments, FIG. 6 shows a cutaway side view of the interconnect assembly 120 and a portion of the battery pack 110, wherein the thermistor 612 has two adjacent cells ( 211). In an exemplary embodiment, interconnect assembly 120 includes a sense layer 123 and traces 124 generally located over the first and second layers 121, 122. Thermistor 612 is located in proximity to the first cell 211 of the battery pack 110. In an exemplary embodiment, thermistor 612 is connected to trace 124 through thermistor lead 624. In an exemplary embodiment, thermistor lead 624 passes through a via for connection with trace 124, but may be soldered or welded in any suitable transfer or method (eg, rivets, pins, in place). Taps, etc.) may be used to connect thermistor 612 with trace 124. In another exemplary embodiment, thermistor 612 is embedded or partially embedded in an overmold (described further herein). In this exemplary embodiment, thermistor 612 is integral with interconnect assembly 120. Interconnect assembly 120 may include any suitable number of thermistor (s) 612. In this exemplary embodiment, placing the interconnect assembly 120 over the battery pack 110 simultaneously simultaneously places thermistor (s) 612 to sense the temperature of the cell 211. Thus, such an apparatus and assembly method does not require a separate manual process for attaching the sensor to or near the battery cell.

Referring now to FIG. 3A, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments, interconnect assembly 120 further includes an overmolded material. Overmolded materials can include plastics, injection molded plastics, ceramic materials, polymers, and / or the like. In various embodiments, the polymer may include a liquid crystal polymer (LCP), polyphenylene pulfide (PPS), polyether ether methtone (PEEK), thermoplastic polymer, thermosetting polymer, and / or the like. Thus, the overmolded material may comprise any suitable material for casting, injection molding, or otherwise overmolding the leadframe (s) as described herein. In addition, the overmolded material 380 can electrically and / or thermally insulate the first layer 121, the second layer 122, and / or the sense layer 123 from each other, and interconnect assembly 120 Provide structural support for components of (e.g., 121, 122, 123, and the like), and / or can structurally hold and place cells 211 of battery pack 110 It may include any material.

3A and 3B illustrate cross sectional, partial, and isometric views of interconnect assembly 120 and battery pack 110, showing positive tabs 163 in close proximity, according to an exemplary embodiment. In an exemplary embodiment, the overmolded material 380 covers the top surface of the interconnect assembly 120, is located between the first layer 121 and the second layer 122, and / or the second layer ( 122), and the windows and / or openings in the overmolded material 380 are aligned with the windows in the first layer 121, the second layer 122, and / or the sensing layer 123. Interconnect assembly 120 may further include (and / or be coupled to) retention structure 381. In an exemplary embodiment, the retention structure 381 is located below the second layer 122. In other words, the retention structure 381 is located on the side of the second layer 122 opposite the first layer 121. In an exemplary embodiment, the retention structure 381 is made of overmolded material 380. In addition, the retaining structure 381 may include any suitable electrically insulating material suitable for retaining and / or supporting the cell 211 in a desired position. The retaining structure 381 may be configured as a ring like structure, as a circle in another continuous structure, or the like. In other embodiments, the retaining structure 381 may include pillars (not shown). The retention structure 381 may be configured to contact the cell 211, for example on the side and / or top of the cell 211, or close to the top of the cell 211. Such contact may be continuous or discontinuous. Such contact prevents or inhibits the upper portions of the cells 211 from being moved relative to each other and / or relative to the interconnect assembly 120. Such contact may further assist in the alignment of the tabs 153, 163 with respect to the cell 211. Such contact prevents gas or fluid from communicating between the space 390 between the cells 211 and the environment on the other side of the interconnect assembly 120, such that the seal is closed around the top of the cell 211. Can be generated additionally. In addition, retaining structure 381 may include any suitable structure for holding cell 211 in place. In addition, in this exemplary embodiment, the interconnect assembly 120 may function to at least partially hold, secure, and / or align the battery cells 211 with respect to each other, and thus the other cells 211. The need for maintenance and / or alignment components can be reduced and / or eliminated.

In an exemplary embodiment, the positive tab 163 extends from the second interconnect plate 162 and is aligned with the top center 212 of the cell 211, which is generally a positive terminal in a typical cylindrical battery. Similarly, negative tab 153 extends from first interconnect plate 152 and is aligned with top edge 213 of cell 211, which is generally a negative terminal in a typical cylindrical battery. Each of such tabs is bent, curved and / or bent to reach the proximal end of the cell 211 downward through the window.

3B shows that overmolded material 380 surrounds layers 121 and 122 and includes the inside of the window to insulate the layer. Although FIGS. 3A and 3B show paired windows, referring briefly to FIG. 3H, it will be understood that a single-window configuration may also be used.

3C and 3D illustrate cross sectional, partial, and isometric views of interconnect assembly 120 and battery pack 110, showing negative tabs 153 in close proximity, according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring briefly to FIGS. 3A-3I, the negative tab 153 and the positive tab 163 may be, for example, welded (laser, ultrasonic, etc.), brazed, soldered through any suitable method and / or material. It will be appreciated that it may be coupled to the corresponding cell 211 via, and / or the like.

3E shows a cross sectional, partial, isometric view of interconnect assembly 120, showing a repeating pattern of positive and negative tabs 153, 163, according to an exemplary embodiment. Positive tab 163 is located proximate to negative tab 153. For example, the window associated with positive tab 163 may be side by side with the window associated with negative tab 153. In one exemplary embodiment, the first layer 121 is connected to the positive terminal of the cell 211, and the second layer 122 is connected to the negative terminal of the cell 211. However, in another exemplary embodiment, the first layer 121 is connected to the negative terminal of the cell 211 and the second layer 122 is connected to the positive terminal of the cell 211. In addition, in an exemplary embodiment, all connections to the cells for a particular plate piece are the same, so that the plate piece can be considered a "positive" plate piece or a "negative" plate piece. However, in some exemplary embodiments, some of the connections to cells 211 on certain plate fragments are positive and other connections are negative. For example, referring briefly to FIG. 4A, in various exemplary embodiments, the plate fragment consists of positive connections to a selected number of cells 211, and negative connections to the same number of other cells 211. It consists of. In this way, the cell 211 is configured to function as an electrical transmission path between the plate pieces.

3F shows an exploded, partial, isometric view of the second current carrying plate 162 aligned with the second interconnect plate 161. Alignment holes 364, 365 (disposed within plates 161, 162, respectively) allow for alignment and coupling of these and other components of interconnect assembly 120.

3G shows a partial top view of interconnect assembly 120, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. In this exemplary embodiment, interconnect assembly 120 has been overmolded. Accordingly, interconnect assembly 120 forms a package that is easy to mount to battery pack 110.

3H shows a partial top view of interconnect assembly 120, which may partially see cell 211 through windows and / or openings of interconnect assembly 120, according to an exemplary embodiment. In this figure, one can see the positive tab 163 and the negative tab 153 and portions of the top of the cell 211 overmold material and windows in the first and second layers. In an exemplary embodiment, interconnect assembly 120 includes an array of pairs of windows 388, each pair 388 including a positive window and a negative window. At the proximal end of the cell 211 near the center of the battery a positive tab 163 connected to (or for connection to) a positive terminal is associated with the positive window. At the proximal end of the cell 211 near the edge of the battery, a negative tab 153 connected to (or for connection to) a negative terminal is associated with the negative window. Each window is of sufficient size to assist in electrically connecting the corresponding tab (s) to the cell 211. As described elsewhere, instead of pair 388, a single common window 389 may be used as desired.

3I shows a partial bottom view of interconnect assembly 120, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. The drawing shows the particular cell 211 with the particular cell 211 removed so that the corresponding positive tab 163 and negative tab 153, and associated window, can be seen through the overmold material 380. In this exemplary embodiment, the retaining structure 381 is in the shape of a plane of overmolded material 380 formed with through circular holes.

The interconnect assembly 120 is configured with a plurality of openings for receiving a portion of the plurality of cells 211 therein. Interconnect assembly 120 facilitates close packing of the plurality of cells 211. The cells 211 may be disposed less than 1 mm from each other. Cells 211 in the plurality of battery cells have a first end and a second end distal from the first end, with the first end and the second end having a length therebetween.

Referring now to FIG. 4A, in various exemplary embodiments, interconnect assembly 120 is configured to produce a desired combination of parallel and series arrangement of cells 211 within battery pack 110. For example, a combination of interconnect assembly 120 and battery pack 110 may be a "10s, 30p" array (10 groups in series, each group comprising 30 cells 211 in parallel). Can cause. In addition, in order to achieve the desired current and voltage levels within the electrical system 100, as desired, any suitable arrangement, such as “5s, 60p”, “20s, 20p”, “10s, 40p”, and And / or the like may be implemented.

For example, referring briefly to FIGS. 2C-2F and 4B, in one exemplary embodiment, an exemplary battery pack 110 comprising 300 cells 211 couples to interconnect assembly 120. When ringed, the electrical path, in order to form an "10s, 30p" arrangement, has the following components: negative terminal (229-> 151A-> 161A-> 151B-> 161B-> 151C-> 161C-> 151D-> 161D-> 151E-> 161E-> 151F-> positive terminal 228. However, any suitable transfer and / or wiring path can be used as desired. For example, by the use of a suitable number of fragments in the first current carrying plate 151 and the second current carrying plate 161, the interconnect assembly 120 may be sized to any suitable voltage, current and / or size and It will be understood that scale may be determined.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the interconnect assembly 120 also serves as a cover for the vapor chamber in which the cell 211 is at least partially positioned and / or disposed therein. In this exemplary embodiment, the interconnect assembly 120 is comprised of various seals, retention mechanisms, sealants, potting material, and / or the like, such that the interconnect assembly 120 is a vapor chamber. A portion of the plurality of cells 211 can be accommodated while preventing and / or reducing leakage and / or evaporation of the working fluid from within. For example, in one exemplary embodiment, interconnect assembly 120 is overmolded with elastomer to provide a compressible seal at the interface where each cell 211 is inserted into interconnect assembly 120. Rigid primary materials. In other exemplary embodiments, o-rings or other mechanical seals may be used. In addition, suitable potting materials may be used to seal the junction between the cell 211 and the interconnect assembly 120. For example, in various exemplary embodiments, the junction between cell 211 and interconnect assembly 120 may be sealed through a flexible or semi-flexible potting material, adhesive, sealant, epoxy, or hot melt. There is; The sealing material may be silicone, urethane, polyurethane, polyester, or polyamide based and / or may include any other suitable sealing and / or adhesive material or compound.

In some demonstrative embodiments, the retention structure 381 has any suitable shape, eg, ring structure, in continuous surface contact or intermittent surface contact with the cell 211. Also, particularly in the case where the cell 211 is not cylindrical (eg in the case of a rectangular cell), shapes other than circular may be used. The contact ring may be formed of straight wall segments, or it may be a smooth circle without corners.

In various exemplary embodiments, the retention structure 381 is configured as a plurality of column-like structures. The pillar is formed in a three-sided pillar shape from the holding structure 381. The pillar may comprise a recess or other shape that is reliably fitted to the shape of the cell 211. However, any suitable pillar shape can be used. In an exemplary embodiment, the pillar is made of overmolded material 380. In addition, any suitable number of columns may be used as the retaining structure 381. For example, each cell 211 may be in contact with at least one pillar, or at least two pillars, or at least three pillars, or at least four pillars. In some demonstrative embodiments, the pillars consist of about 5 mm in length. In addition, certain pillars (and / or all pillars) may extend throughout from the inner surface of interconnect assembly 120 to the corresponding inner surface on the opposite side near the distal end of cell 211. The pillar may have a size and / or configuration that fits entirely into the space present between the cells 211 when the cells 211 are geometrically packed as close as possible. The pillars may extend from the interconnect assembly 120 generally in a direction parallel to the cylindrical axis of the cell 211 or along the length of the particular cell 211.

In an exemplary embodiment, a method for interconnecting a battery pack including a plurality of cells includes disposing an interconnect assembly over the cell, and connecting a tab of the interconnect assembly to a terminal of the cell. In some embodiments, the retaining structure is coupled to the cells to align the cells prior to coupling the interconnect assembly. The interconnect assembly may be positioned and / or positioned relative to the retaining structure for alignment for proper connection with the cell.

5A and 5B illustrate various fuse designs for a tap, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. In the first exemplary embodiment, the tab 163 is configured with a hole 164 in the tab. In another exemplary embodiment, the tab 153 has a narrow neck 154 (eg, a trench-like structure) in the tab. Holes 164 or narrow necks 154 in the tabs may be located anywhere the openings on the tabs may insulate the connection cells 211 from the rest of the electrical circuits of the other cells and interconnect assembly 120. have. For example, a hole 164 or neck 154 may be located between the connection point for the cell 211 and the main body of the interconnect plates 152, 162.

Hole 164 has a diameter and narrow neck 154 has a narrower portion than the rest of the tab. Such diameters or thicknesses are designed such that the tab functions as a fuse by reducing the overall cross sectional area to the point where a particular amperage for a sufficiently long time melts or evaporates the tab at that location. Thus, if there is a short or other high amp situation with respect to the cell 211, it will melt away from the circuit and protect the battery pack 110 and the rest of the electrical system 100. It will be appreciated that other suitable structures and methods may be used to create the fuse within the tap.

Referring now to FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C, in various exemplary embodiments, the portion of interconnect assembly 120 is a “pick and place” component assembly system, such as electronics. Through surface mount technology placement robots commonly used in the assembly industry, they can be configured to be compatible and / or optimized for production. For example, portions of layer 121 and / or layer 122 may comprise a set of tab assemblies 173. Each tab assembly 173 is configured with a plurality of plate connection points 174, which may include flanges, extensions, and / or the like. In addition, tab assembly 173 is configured with cell tab 175. Cell tab 175 is configured to couple to cell 211 (eg, to form negative tab 153 or positive tab 163). The tab assembly 173 may also be configured such that, for example, when the cell tab 175 is bent, pressed, and / or otherwise contacted with the cell 211, the tab assembly 173 is connected to the first current transfer plate 151. When placed in contact with (or second current transfer plate 161), or the like, it can be configured with a frangible link 176 that can be separated as desired.

In various exemplary embodiments, the plurality of tab assemblies 173 replace the interconnect plates (eg, the first interconnect plates 152) (and / or serve a similar purpose). , May be coupled to a current transfer plate (eg, first current transfer plate 151). For example, tab assembly 173 may be disposed within a window in window pair 388 to facilitate connection with corresponding cell 211. In addition, any suitable number of tap assemblies 173 may be coupled to a particular current carrying plate in any suitable configuration as desired to facilitate interconnection with the desired number and configuration of cells 211.

Referring now to FIG. 7C, in various exemplary embodiments, the first or second current transfer plates 151, 161 may be configured with a series of solder pads 184. Solder pad 184 is configured to correspond to plate connection point 174 on tab assembly 173. Solder pad 184 may be formed through any suitable process, for example, stencil printing associated with a mask. Once the solder pads 184 are formed, the tab assemblies 173 are selectively grasped and placed in contact with the solder pads 184. The resulting assembly is then heated to reflow the solder, thereby coupling the tab assembly 173 to the first and / or second current transfer plates 151, 161.

Referring now to FIGS. 8A and 8B, in various exemplary embodiments, the interconnect assembly 120 includes (and / or configured to be coupled to) one or more socket bus bars 191. For example, the first socket bus bar 191 can function as (and / or replace) a positive tab 228, and the second socket bus bar 191 can serve as a negative tab 229. Function (and / or replace). However, socket bus bar 191 may be located in any suitable location within interconnect assembly 120. Socket bus bar 191 includes a material configured to effectively conduct current and is configured with one or more holes 192. The hole 192 serves as a receptacle for electrical connection, for example as a "female" connector part corresponding to a "male" connector part (e.g., a "banana" style connector and / or the like). It is composed. In this manner, interconnect assembly 120 may be electrically connected to other components of electrical system 100 (and / or to external components) without using fasteners, and thus “plug and play”. "Enable the operation.

Referring now to FIG. 9, in various exemplary embodiments, a portion of interconnect assembly 120, such as first layer 121 and / or second layer 122, may be a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly and And / or through its components or materials. For example, in the interconnect assembly 120, the first current transport layer 151 may comprise a metal layer of a metal-backed and / or metal-cored PCB. In other words, in the interconnect assembly 120, in another application, a metal PCB layer that was typically used for structural and / or thermal purposes (not for electrical connection) is used to transfer current between the cells 211. Can be used. Other PCB layers, such as FR-4 glass reinforced epoxy material, may be used to form portions of the first layer 121 and / or the second layer 122 and / or selectively insulate them from each other. .

In this example interconnect assembly 120, the second current carrying layer 161 may comprise different metal layers of the same PCB that include the first current carrying layer 151; Alternatively, the second current carrying layer 161 may comprise a metal layer of the second PCB. In addition, the sense layer 123 may be implemented within traces of several PCBs. When appropriate, to form interconnect assembly 120, first layer 121 and / or second layer 122 may be coupled together, coated with overmolded material 380, and in series May be coupled to the tab assembly 173, and / or the like.

Referring now to FIGS. 10A-17F, in various exemplary embodiments, interconnect assembly 120 may be configured with various conductive plates 128 to form conductive layers 121, 122; The conductive plate 128 may serve to function similarly to both the current carrying plate 151 and the interconnect plate 152 (and / or instead) as identified in other exemplary embodiments described above. So that it can be used), the size and configuration of the conductive plate 128 can be determined. In other words, in some exemplary embodiments, the interconnect assembly 120 includes some plates whose primary function is connection with the cell 211 and other plates whose main function is to carry current between the cells 211. Instead, it consists of plates that serve to provide both conductive and current transfer functions simultaneously.

  In addition, the interconnect assembly 120 distributes, divides, allocates, or otherwise at least partially divides the current from the cell 211 in the battery pack 110 between the conductive plates 128, thereby specifying a specific one. Conductive plates 128 forming one or more conductive layers 121, 122 in a manner that reduces heating and / or resistive losses associated with conductive plate 128 and / or allows the use of low cost and / or large resistivity materials. It can be composed of). In addition, the interconnect assembly 120 may perform automated handling and / or processing of that portion, such as automated stamping, lamination, welding, and / or other coupling, linking, or bonding of the conductive plate 128. Helping features can be configured with them. In addition, the interconnect assembly 120 may be comprised of various insulating layers and / or other components, such that overmolding of the interconnect assembly 120 may be optional, and thus, of the interconnect assembly 120 Volume and / or weight can be reduced. In addition, the interconnect assembly 120 may be configured to “float” on top of the corresponding battery pack 110 (ie, the interconnect assembly 120 may be a mechanical part of the battery pack 110 or Instead of being coupled to the sheath, only the positive and negative poles of the cell 211 in the battery pack 110 can be coupled to the battery pack 110); In this way, the interconnect assembly 120 can be made more vibration resistant and / or shock resistant, thereby improving the lifetime of the electrical connection between the interconnect assembly 120 and the cell 211. Also, in various embodiments, the voltage can be sensed directly from the conductive layer without a separate sense layer. However, in other embodiments, separate sensing layers may be used.

Referring now to FIGS. 10A and 10B, in various exemplary embodiments, interconnect assembly 120 includes a large number of conductive layers, such as first conductive layer 121 and second conductive layer 122. do. In addition, any suitable number of conductive layers may be used, such as three conductive layers, four conductive layers, and the like. In this example embodiment, the interconnect assembly 120 and / or its layers may be a "thin" layer (ie, the interconnect plate 152) and "as described in connection with various previous example embodiments. Thick layer "(i.e., current carrying plate 151), but instead of components that simultaneously provide conductivity and current carrying capability. An insulating layer 126 may be disposed between the conductive layer 121 and the conductive layer 122. In addition, insulating layer 126 may be disposed on top of conductive layer 121 and / or under conductive layer 122 (or vice versa); Generally described, the insulating layer or layers 126 may be disposed anywhere in the interconnect assembly 120 where electrical insulating properties are desired. Various insulating layers 126 may be molded, disposed, and / or otherwise configured to reduce and / or prevent undesirable electrical connections and / or short circuits within interconnect assembly 120. In various exemplary embodiments, the insulating layer 126 may be, such as plastic, polypropylene, polyimide, polycarbonate, glass-reinforced epoxy laminate (eg, FR-4), and any other electrically insulating material, Dielectric material. Insulating layer 126 may comprise a single layer structure; Alternatively, insulating layer 126 may comprise multiple layers of common or different materials.

  10C and 10D, in various exemplary embodiments, interconnect assembly 120 is configured with tabs 153 and 163 for coupling to cell 211. A particular tab 163 is disposed and shaped to couple to the negative electrode (ie, the positive terminal) of the cell 211; The other tab 153 is disposed and shaped to couple to the positive electrode (ie, negative terminal) of the cell 211.

In some exemplary embodiments, referring to FIGS. 11C, 11D, and 11E, the tabs 153, 163 are, for example, died through the same process used to form the bulk of the conductive plate 128. It may be initially formed in conductive plate 128 by stamping, laser cutting, waterjet cutting, plasma cutting, electrical discharge machining, and / or the like. In various exemplary embodiments, conductive plate 128 comprises a planar material, such that tabs 153 and 163 are, as initially formed, (eg, as shown in FIGS. 11C and 11D). ) May be co-planar with the rest of the conductive plate 128. The tabs 153, 163 are bent, stretched, stamped, pressed, and / or otherwise formed or extended to extend at least partially out of, away from, or below the main body of the interconnect assembly 120. Can be configured; In this way, the tabs 153, 163 may be extended for easier coupling to the cell 211, for example through spot welding or other suitable process. This deformation and / or extension of the tabs 153, 163 at least partially located outside of the remaining plane of the conductive plate 128 may occur at the same time as the initial formation of the conductive plate 128 or at a similar time. ; Alternatively, this may occur in a later processing step. By extending the tabs 153, 163, a space is formed between the conductive plate 128 and the cell 211, allowing electrical insulation, thermal insulation, and / or kinetic damping material to be disposed therebetween. Will be understood.

In some exemplary embodiments, tabs 153, 163 are stamped, pressed, bent, and / or otherwise processed to extend away from the main body of conductive plate 128. Through this or any other suitable manufacturing process, the tabs 153, 163 will have an increased area compared to the thickness of the main body of the conductive plate 128 (eg, as shown in FIG. 10D). And / or may be made somewhat thin. Further, to obtain the desired size and / or shape of the tabs 153, 163, the tabs 153, 163 may be trimmed, cut, or otherwise additionally shaped or formed after bending. A view of the tabs 153, 163 after processing can be seen in FIGS. 11E and 10D, and at least the plane occupied by the main body of the conductive plate 128 as well as the post-processing size of the tabs 153, 163. It shows the partially deformed deformation part. In one exemplary embodiment, the tab is locally thinned to about 0.5 mm, while the main body of conductive plate 128 is about 1.0 mm thick. The thin tabs can be welded using any suitable method (eg, a laser) while still maintaining the same current transfer thickness required for the application. In various exemplary embodiments, conductive plate 128 includes one or more of aluminum, nickel, copper, or any other suitable conductive alloy. In an exemplary embodiment, the tabs 153, 163 have a thickness that, after deformation, is about half the thickness of the conductive plate 128. However, any suitable thickness of conductive plates and tabs can be used.

Referring now to FIGS. 10E-10H, in various exemplary embodiments, each of the conductive layer 121 and the conductive layer 122 consists of a set of conductive plates 128 having a window 127 therein. . When the conductive layer 121 and the conductive layer 122 are disposed one above the other, the window 127 is partially and / or fully aligned so that a common path (eg, a vertical path, through the interconnect assembly 120) That is, the windows 127 are configured in corresponding shapes to form a path that is generally perpendicular to the plane of the interconnect assembly 120. Window 127 may have tabs 153 and / or 163 extending therein; In addition, window 127 may be configured without any tabs 153 or 163 and may therefore be “empty”. In this manner, in the interconnect assembly 120, the tabs 153, 163 may extend without obstacles that are coupled to the corresponding cells 211.

Referring now to FIG. 10I, in various exemplary embodiments, conductive layer 121 and / or conductive layer 122 include one or more conductive plates 128. Conductive plate 128 may be configured with a plurality of windows 127 therein, including windows 127 configured with tabs 153 or 163. Further, conductive plate 128 may be configured with one or more tabs 153 on one end of conductive plate 128, and / or with one or more tabs 163 on opposite ends of conductive plate 128. Can be configured; In this manner, a plurality of conductive plates 128 may be disposed adjacent to each other while maintaining the desired pattern of the window 127, the tab 153, and the tab 163. In this configuration, the gap or space between adjacent conductive plates 128 may serve for the function of the window 127; In other words, when the two conductive plates 128 are adjacent to each other, voids or spaces similar in size and / or shape to the window 127 are left unobstructed and tabs 153 and 163 extend into the window-like space. It will be appreciated that the conductive plate 128 may be molded, if possible.

Referring now to FIG. 10J, in various exemplary embodiments, in interconnect assembly 120, conductive layer 121 and conductive layer 122 may be separated by an insulating layer or layers 126. Insulating layer 126 may extend the length and / or width of interconnect assembly 120. Further, in order to electrically insulate conductive layer 121 from conductive layer 122, multiple insulating layers 126 or sections thereof may be used as desired. In addition, when the conductive layer 121, the insulating layer 126, and the conductive layer 122 are stacked on top of one another, the windows 127 are partially or fully aligned with each other to provide a path through the interconnect assembly 120. To form, insulating layer 126 may be configured with windows 127.

Referring back to FIGS. 10C, 10E-10H, 11C-11E, and 11G, in various exemplary embodiments, the window 127 is configured to automate the interconnect assembly 120 and / or its components. It is configured as a "vision window", for example associated with machine vision, which enables specialized handling, coupling, and / or processing. In an exemplary embodiment, to maximize the amount of conductive material present in conductive plate 128 and thus to minimize resistive heating in conductive plate 128, the attachment device (eg, laser welding device, wire bonding) may also be used. The vision window is shaped to provide appropriate vision capabilities for use in connection with the instrument, conductive adhesive dispensing instrument, and / or the like. For example, in various exemplary embodiments, in interconnect assembly 120, window 127 may be configured in two shapes, with the first shape for window 127 being the positive tab 163. Associated with, the second shape for window 127 is associated with negative tab 153. In another exemplary embodiment, one shape for window 127 may be used for both positive and negative tabs. In an exemplary embodiment, when the interconnect assembly 120 is aligned with a battery pack 110 that includes a cell 211, the positive tab 163 has a positive terminal (eg, cell 211). Laser-welded to the negative electrode of < RTI ID = 0.0 > negative < / RTI > Is located. In an exemplary embodiment, the positive terminal of each cell 211 is located at the center top portion of the cell 211, and the negative terminal of the cell 211 is located near the top shoulder of the cell 211. Although various embodiments have been described herein as using laser welding, it will be appreciated that any suitable coupling technique may be used. In an exemplary embodiment, tabs 153 and 163 are spot welded to respective terminals of the cell.

During the integration of the interconnect assembly 120 and the battery pack 110, in an exemplary embodiment, the laser welder is provided with a battery pack 110 and an interconnect to provide a vertical or approximately vertical laser to produce a weld. It may be placed in a position above assembly 120. Any suitable laser welder, such as a gas laser, solid state laser, fiber type laser, or any other suitable laser may be used to create the spot weld. With respect to a laser welder or other coupling mechanism, the machine vision system may help align the laser welding beam (or other coupling mechanism) based on the position of the tabs 153, 163 and / or the cell 211. have. In an exemplary embodiment, the machine vision system is about 20 degrees, or about 15 degrees, or about 10 degrees, or about 5 degrees from vertical (ie, about 5 degrees to about about perpendicular to the plane of interconnect assembly 120). May have an angle of 20 degrees), but any suitable angle may be used. In an exemplary embodiment, the machine vision system includes a high resolution digital camera configured with a suitable imaging algorithm; Any suitable machine vision system can be used.

According to an exemplary embodiment, conductive plate 128 and / or insulating layer 126 in interconnect assembly 120 includes a window 127 configured as a vision window. In an exemplary embodiment, the vision window 127 is shaped, sized to allow the machine vision system to see at least a portion of a particular individual cell 211 to improve alignment of the laser weld or other coupling associated therewith. And / or other configurations. Each vision window 127 may be configured to provide an opening, for example, through which the machine vision system may observe the position of at least a portion of the cell 211 and / or which it is intended to weld. The position of tabs 153 and / or 163 can be observed. In an exemplary embodiment, vision window 127 may be considered or described as a "cut" in various insulating and conductive layers that include interconnect assembly 120. In an exemplary embodiment, each cutout is shaped to provide space around positive tab 163 and negative tab 153, and to provide a machine vision system with a scene of a portion of cell 211.

In one exemplary embodiment, the window 127 has a geometry that is concentric with the cylindrical cell 211 and exposes at least a portion of the negative shoulder of the cell 211 so that the machine vision system can “see”. . In another exemplary embodiment, the shape of the window 127 is a " wing " that increases the amount of cells 211 that the machine vision system can see (eg, as shown in FIG. 11E). Contains. In an exemplary embodiment, each window 127 allows exposing or viewing a portion of the shoulder and / or circumference of the corresponding cell 211 through the interconnect assembly 120.

In various exemplary embodiments, the portion of the cell 211 that the machine vision system can see is, in a particular cell 211: 1/2 of a circumference, 3/8 of a circumference, 5/16 of a circumference, 1 of a circumference. Window 127 may be configured to include more than / 4, 3/16 of circumference, 1/8 of circumference, or 1/12 of circumference. In an exemplary embodiment, window 127 exposes 7% to 40% of the circumference of cell 211. Further, in another exemplary embodiment, window 127 exposes a distance along the circumference of cell 211 of at least 1 inch, or at least 1/2 inch. The portion of the cell 211 visible through the window 127 may be a tab, for example a first portion of the circumference of the cell 211 on the first side of the tab 163, and a cell on the second side of the tab ( 211) may comprise a second portion of the circumference. In one exemplary embodiment, at least 60 degrees of the outer diameter of the cell may be exposed. Also, the more cells 211 are exposed through vision window 127, the more accurate and faster the machine vision system can be. However, the more cells 211 are exposed, the more cells 211 are exposed. The amount of material in the conductive plate 128 that can be used for conducting current to and from the furnace is reduced.

In an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10E-10H, and 11E, the window 127 includes a first shape for the window 127 that includes or is associated with a positive tab 163, and Configured with a second shape for window 127 that includes or is associated with negative tab 153. In another exemplary embodiment, not shown, a shape that is the same as the shape for window 127 that includes or is associated with negative tab 153, includes window 127 that includes or is associated with positive tab 163. Can be used for In addition, the shape of the window 127 may vary from plate to plate and / or from layer to layer within the interconnect assembly 120; Alternatively, the shape of the window 127 may be kept constant throughout the interconnect assembly 120. In an exemplary embodiment, the shape, orientation, layout and dimensions of the window 127 are configured to provide sufficient vision for proper coupling and to provide sufficient cross sectional area for current flow in the conductive material without excessive heating. . In particular, in applications where the window 127 cannot be made smaller but the elevated power load still generates too much heat in connection with the operation of the cell 211, the conductive plate 128 is divided into multiple layers. Can be.

  Although the cell 211 is primarily described herein as a cylindrical cell, the machine vision system may expose portions of any type of cell 211 with respect to the window 127, thus corresponding cell 211. It will be appreciated that it will be possible to enable mechanical vision associative alignment of laser welding of the positive and / or negative tabs with respect to.

 Referring now to FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C, in various exemplary embodiments, the conductive plate 128 is in contact with a positive and / or negative electrode of a particular parallel group of cells 211 within the battery pack 110. It is composed. In addition, conductive plate 128 may form a series connection by contacting opposite terminals on another (eg, adjacent) group of parallel cells 211 in battery pack 110. In addition, so that a plurality of conductive plates 128 can be stacked on top of one another, so that the connection associated with a particular parallel group of cells 211 can be split between the conductive plates 128 comprising the stack, Conductive plate 128 may be constructed. In other words, in some exemplary embodiments, the conductive plate 128 may be considered to be formed of multiple sub-plates in a stacked arrangement.

In interconnect assembly 120, in various exemplary embodiments, conductive plate 128 may be configured to couple to a group or groups of cells 211. Referring now to FIG. 12A, a particular conductive plate 128 is configured with a tab 153 for connection to a positive terminal of a parallel group of cells 211. As shown in FIG. 12B, another conductive plate 128 is configured with a tab 163 for connection to a negative terminal of a parallel group of cells 211. In addition, as shown in FIG. 12C, another conductive plate 128 includes a tab 163 and a second parallel of the cell 211 for connection to the negative terminals of the first parallel group of cells 211. It consists of a tab 153 for connection to the positive terminal of the group, thus making a series connection therebetween.

In various exemplary embodiments, in the interconnect assembly 120, a plurality of conductive plates 128 may be used to associate a first parallel group of cells 211 with a second parallel group of cells 211 ( That is, serial connections can be made between them). In this manner, the current between the first parallel group of cells 211 and the second parallel group of cells 211 can be split between the plurality of conductive plates 128. This arrangement can result in reduced resistance loss and consequent heat generation in the conductive plate 128.

Referring now to FIG. 13A, a particular conductive plate 128-A is configured with tabs 153 and 163 present in half of the windows 127 of the conductive plate 128-A as a whole, and the remaining window ( 127 is empty. Tabs 153 and 163 may be arranged in stripes, bands, or other groups in conductive plate 128 -A, for example, separated by stripes or bands of empty window 127. In addition to stripes or bands, any suitable arrangement of tabs 153 and 163 may be used, such as a Western pattern or other patterns interleaved with each other. Due to the presence of the tabs 153 and 163, the conductive plate 128-A is formed between the first subset of the first parallel group of cells 211 and the first subset of the second parallel group of cells 211. Make a serial connection. Although the number of tabs 163 and the number of tabs 153 are often the same, this is not essential; It will be appreciated that a particular conductive plate 128 may have both tabs 163, or both tabs 153, or both tabs 153 and 163 but not the same number.

Referring now to FIG. 13B, a particular conductive plate 128-B is configured with tabs 153 and 163 present in half of the windows 127 of the conductive plate 128-B as a whole; Where the conductive plate 128-A has an empty window 127, the conductive plate 128-B has tabs 153 and / or 163, and vice versa. Thus, conductive plate 128-B makes a series connection between the second subset of the first parallel group of cells 211 and the second subset of the second parallel group of cells 211. The first subset and the second subset do not overlap; In other words, it will be understood that a particular battery cell 211 is a member of only one subset.

In the interconnect assembly 120, the conductive plate 128-A and the conductive plate 128-B may be stacked on top of each other, and the resulting double-layer laminate may be (eg, shown in FIG. 12C). Similar to a single conductive plate) provides a series connection between the entire first parallel group of cells 211 and the entire second parallel group of cells 211. In this configuration, each of the conductive plate 128 -A and the conductive plate 128 -B is approximately equal to the amount of current transferred in series between the first parallel group of cells 211 and the second parallel group of cells 211. Transfer half.

Referring now to FIGS. 13C, 13D, and 13E, in some exemplary embodiments, a triple-layer laminate may be used; Each of the conductive plates 128-C, 128-D, and 128-E is configured with tabs 153 and 163 present in one third of the windows 127, and the remaining windows 127 are empty. have. When the conductive plates 128-C, 128-D, and 128-E are stacked on top of each other, the resulting triple-layer stack is again a cell 211 (similar to the single conductive plate shown in FIG. 12C). Provide a serial connection between the entire first parallel group of < RTI ID = 0.0 >) < / RTI > In this configuration, each of the conductive plates 128-C, 128-D, and 128-E is formed of a current transferred in series between the first parallel group of cells 211 and the second parallel group of cells 211. Transfer about 1/3.

By laminating the conductive plates 128, each conductive plate 128 can be made thinner and / or lighter due to the reduction in the required current carrying capacity. In addition, each conductive plate 128 may be made of a lower cost and / or larger resistivity material. In one exemplary embodiment, conductive plate 128 includes copper, aluminum, nickel, any alloy variant, and / or the like. The ability to divide the layers, thereby reducing the current through each layer, facilitates the reduction of the thickness of each layer, thus providing more manufacturing methods (eg, for interconnect assembly 120). For example, a conventional multilayer PCB automated processing method) is opened.

In an exemplary embodiment, interconnect assembly 120 is configured to form a 10s30p (10 series and 30 parallel) combination of cells 211. In one exemplary embodiment, each conductive plate 128 making a series connection between parallel groups of cells 211 is configured in a size of about 570 mm x 230 mm. Each parallel group can contain 30 cells, which are divided into two, three, four, five or six subgroups (ie, layers in conductive plate 128), depending on the power load. Can be. In this exemplary embodiment, there are 300 windows 127 corresponding to 300 battery cells 211, where the windows are counted as one window per cell 211, one window per layer cell 211. It is not counted into window 127. In this exemplary embodiment, there are a total of 600 tabs, one for each positive and negative terminal for each cell 211. Thus, each conductive plate 128 may have 60 tabs, corresponding to 30 parallel cells. Such conductive plate 128 may then be divided into any suitable number of layers, thereby splitting the current and reducing the resistance heating due to the current flowing through that layer. In this example, if three layers are used, each layer in the group of parallel cells will have 10 cells connected in parallel, and 20 tabs connected to the corresponding plate (corresponding to 10 cells). This is just one exemplary embodiment, and the number of layers, the number of cells, the dimensions, and the parallel series combination will vary greatly depending on the cell layout, module size, serial and parallel requirements, and the like.

Referring now to FIGS. 14A, 14B, and 14C, in various exemplary embodiments, the interconnect assembly 120 may, through any suitable number of conductive plates 128, and / or stack thickness thereof. It will be appreciated that it can be configured with connections between groups of parallel cells 211. As shown in FIG. 14A, a single-layer arrangement of conductive plates 128 may be used; In this arrangement, all currents between the first group of parallel cells 211 and the second group of parallel cells 211 flow through a single conductive plate 128 having a first thickness. As shown in FIG. 14B, a bi-layer arrangement of conductive plates 128 may be used; In this arrangement, each conductive plate 128 in the stack has half the number of tabs 153, 163 of the single-layer conductive plate shown in FIG. 14A, and each conductive plate 128 is a parallel cell ( About half of the current is transferred between the first group of 211 and the second group of parallel cells 211. In this exemplary embodiment, each conductive plate 128 is typically thinner than the conductive plate 128 of FIG. 14A. Also, as shown in FIG. 14C, a triple-layer arrangement of conductive plates 128 may be used; In this arrangement, each conductive plate 128 in the stack has one third the number of tabs 153, 163 of the single-layer conductive plate shown in FIG. 14A, and each conductive plate 128 is in parallel About 1/3 of the current is transferred between the first group of cells 211 and the second group of parallel cells 211. In this exemplary embodiment, each conductive plate 128 is typically thinner than the conductive plate 128 of FIG. 14B. If desired, any suitable laminate thickness and resulting splitting of tabs 153 and 163 may be used. In addition, the conductive plates 128 in the stack may have a common thickness; Alternatively, the thicknesses of the conductive plates 128 in the stack may be different from one another.

Referring now to FIGS. 15A-15D, in various exemplary embodiments, the interconnect assembly 120 is associated with a plurality of current carrying layers, such as the first conductive layer 121 and the second conductive layer 122. It is composed. Each of the conductive layers 121, 122 may be formed from a stack of conductive plates 128. For example, as shown in the exploded view of FIG. 15A, the first conductive layer 121 is formed from a double stack of conductive plates 128, and the second conductive layer 122 is likewise of the conductive plate 128. It is formed from a double stack. FIG. 15B shows the first conductive layer 121 disposed on top of the cell 211 in the battery pack 110; FIG. 15C shows a second conductive layer 122 disposed on top of the cell 211 in the battery pack 110; FIG. 15D shows both the first conductive layer 121 and the second conductive layer 122 disposed on top of the cell 211 in the battery pack 110. First conductive layer 121 and second conductive layer 122 are complementary with respect to having tab 153 or tab 163 for each cell 211.

When configured as shown in FIG. 15D, the first conductive layer 121 and the second conductive layer 122 are, for example, in a manner similar to that described above with respect to FIG. 4A, in a cell 211 of the desired configuration. Form connections that result in parallel and series groups of. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 15A-15D, from left to right, the electrical path leads to the following components: positive terminal 228-> to form an "10s, 30p" arrangement of cells 211. 121A-> 122A-> 121B-> 122B-> 121C-> 122C-> 121D-> 122D-> 121E-> 122E-> 121F-> Negative terminal (229).

16A-16C additionally show a window 127 for conductive plate 128 used in a bi-layer stack to form a conductive layer, such as conductive layer 121, in interconnect assembly 120. , An exemplary complementary arrangement of tabs 153 and 163.

Referring to FIGS. 17A-C, each conductive plate 128 disposed at the most positive end of the interconnect assembly 120 loads the conductive plate 128 (or bus bar or And a connection feature 133 for electrically connecting to another current collection component. When multiple stacked conductive plates 128 are used, the connecting features 133 may be offset from plate to plate, thus allowing multiple connection points for the stack as shown in FIG. 17C and accordingly Prevents excessive current from accumulating at any particular connection point.

Likewise, referring now to FIGS. 17D-17F, each conductive plate 128 disposed at the most negative end of interconnect assembly 120 may load the conductive plate 128 with a load (or bus bar or other current collection). Component) is coupled with a connection feature 133 for electrically connecting to the component. When multiple stacked conductive plates 128 are used, the connecting features 133 may be offset from plate to plate, thus allowing multiple connection points for the stack as shown in FIG. 17F and accordingly Prevents excessive current from accumulating at any particular connection point.

Referring to FIGS. 17A and 17B, in various exemplary embodiments, conductive plate 128 may be assembled, sensed, and / or managed features, such as flange 129, through hole 130, and / or It may be configured together with the guitar. This feature may be used as desired, for example, for handling the conductive plate 128 during assembly, for associating stacks of conductive plates 128 together, and so on. The through hole 130 disposed in a common position between the conductive plates 128 may be used for rivets or other mechanical connections to hold all the conductive plates 128 in the stack. Alternatively, the conductive plates 128 can be welded, soldered, brazed, or otherwise coupled together. The flange 129 may also be used as an electrical connection point for use in connection with cell 211 balancing and battery management system voltage readings.

In various exemplary embodiments, the interconnect assembly 120 may include other components for control and / or management of the battery pack 110, such as temperature sensors, current sensors, voltage sensors, battery management systems, and / or the like. Or may be coupled to and / or used with it. In this manner, interconnect assembly 120 may help to improve performance, operating life, and / or reliability of battery pack 110.

Referring now to FIGS. 18A and 18B, in various example embodiments, the interconnect assembly 120 may include (and / or be coupled to) the voltage sensing board 141. The voltage sensing board 141 is configured with a large number of electrical leads 142, each lead 142 being for coupling to the conductive plate 128 in the interconnect assembly 121. In order to help single-cable coupling of the voltage sensing board 141 to other control electronics associated with the system 100, the leads 142 are connected to the voltage sensing board 141, for example a male / female socket. Into the connector 143, they may be connected and / or joined together. As such, the voltage sensing board 141 is configured to help monitor the voltage of each trace / group of the parallel cells 211 (eg, in connection with the operation of the BMS 140). According to various exemplary aspects, this approach precludes the use of wiring harnesses. The voltage sensing board 141 may include, for example, a printed circuit board having a lead 142 for connecting to a conductive plate 128 including first and second layers 121 and 122. In an exemplary embodiment, the voltage sensing board 141 is connected to four to twelve separate conductive plates 128 in the first layer 121 (eg, via rivets or nuts / bolts). Similarly, the voltage sensing board 141 may be connected to four to twelve separate conductive plates in the second layer 122. In addition, any suitable number of connections may be made between locations within interconnect assembly 120 and voltage sensing board 141.

Referring now to FIGS. 19A and 19B, in various exemplary embodiments, the interconnect assembly 120 couples to the temperature sensing ribbon 145 to monitor the temperature of one or more cells 211 in the battery pack 110. Ring (and / or work with it). The temperature sensing ribbon 145 includes, in an exemplary embodiment, a flexible PCB ribbon having a surface mount thermistor or thermistor 147. The temperature sensing ribbon 145 may further include a non-conductive housing 146, for example, to facilitate coupling to other components of the battery pack 110. In various exemplary embodiments, the temperature sensing ribbon 145 extends through and between the cells 211, for example in a serpentine manner. Thermistor 147 is brought into contact with the associated cell 211 at a level between the top and bottom of the cell 211 (eg, within a position within +/- 20% of the midpoint of the cell 211 height). Temperature sensing ribbon 145 may be configured. By placing thermistor 147 in this position, the temperature sensing ribbon 145 is improved, especially when the cell 211 is primarily cooled from one end and thus a temperature gradient occurs along the height of the cell 211. Cell 211 temperature measurement may be provided.

The use of the temperature sensing ribbon 145 provides the ability to measure the temperature of the cell 211 throughout the cell 211 structure including the battery pack 110. In particular, the temperature sensing ribbon 145 provides the ability to sense the temperature of the middle / inner cell 211 in the battery pack 110. In addition, the temperature sensing ribbon 145 is in contrast to measuring the average temperature of all of the cells 211 including the battery pack 110, and is a particular location of the individual cells 211, or the battery pack 110. It helps to measure the temperature of at least a small number of cells 211 in the cell.

In various exemplary embodiments, when building the battery pack 110, the temperature sensing ribbon 145 may be positioned and / or placed first, and then the cell 211 may be placed into the battery pack 110. have. In this manner, automated assembly of the battery pack 110 is facilitated, in which the thermistor 147 is pre-associated with the corresponding cell 211 without the need to separate and / or couple the thermistor. Because it is placed. Alternatively, after the cell 211 is disposed in the battery pack 110, the temperature sensing ribbon 145 may be inserted.

In accordance with the principles of the present disclosure, an exemplary electrical system 100 (and / or battery pack 110 and / or interconnect assembly 120) is preferably an article of an electric vehicle or mobile industrial equipment, for example To be used with cars, tractors, trucks, trolleys, trains, vans, quads, golf carts, scooters, boats, airplanes, drones, forklifts, telehandlers, backhoes, and / or others. Can be. In an exemplary embodiment, the interconnect assembly 120 replaces the wire harness and increases the reliability and speed of the assembly for connecting a battery pack with hundreds of cells into the electrical system 100.

For example, US patent application Ser. No. 15 / 815,975, filed November 17, 2017, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety for all purposes and entitled "SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR BATTERY THERMAL MANAGEMENT UTILIZING A VAPOR CHAMBER". As disclosed in the call, the principles of the present disclosure can be combined with the thermal management principles of a battery system.

In an exemplary embodiment, the electrical system is: an interconnect assembly comprising a first plate and a second plate, wherein the first plate comprises a first plate fragment and a second plate fragment, and the second plate is a third plate fragment. And a fourth plate fragment; And a plurality of cells comprising a first group of cells, a second group of cells, and a third group of cells, wherein the interconnect assembly is connected to an upper portion of the plurality of cells, the plurality of cells of the plurality of cells Each cell comprises a battery pack, comprising a first terminal of a first polarity and a second terminal of a second polarity.

In an exemplary embodiment, a battery interconnect assembly for electrically connecting a plurality of cells of a battery pack includes: a first plate and a second plate, the first plate comprising: a first window; A first tab associated with the first window, the first tab configured to connect the first plate to a first terminal of a cell of the plurality of cells of the battery pack, the second plate being parallel to the first plate and the first plate At least partially overlapping with the second pane, the second pane comprising: a second window aligned with the first window, the first tab extending through the second window; A second tab associated with the second window, the second tab configured to connect the second plate to the second terminal of the cell, the first plate being physically separated from the second plate, the first plate being pushed through the cell; It is electrically connected to the second plate, the first terminal having a first polarity and the second terminal having a second polarity. The first plate comprises: a first current transfer plate; And a first interconnect plate electrically connected to the first current transfer plate along the first side of the first current transfer plate, wherein the first tab is part of the first interconnect plate and the second plate is: A second current transfer plate; And a second interconnect plate electrically connected to the second current transfer plate along the first side of the second current transfer plate, wherein the second tab is part of the second interconnect plate. The first current carrying plate may be thicker than the first interconnect plate; The second current carrying plate may be thicker than the second interconnect plate. The first current carrying plate may comprise a first conductive material, the first interconnect plate may comprise a second conductive material, the second current carrying plate may comprise a third conductive material, and the second The interconnect plate may comprise a fourth conductive material.

The interconnect assembly may further comprise an overmolded material, the overmolded material forming a package assembly that holds the first and second plates in a fixed position relative to each other, and the overmolded material is electrically The non-conductive, overmolded material, including the first window, the second window, the third window, and the fourth window, forms the overall shape of the interconnect assembly. The overmolded material may include openings shaped to conform to the shape of the top portion of the cell to receive and hold the cell in a fixed position relative to the first and second plates. The cell may be a cylindrical cell, and the overmolded material may include a circular opening for receiving the top portion of the cylindrical cell, and the circular opening may be aligned with the first and second tabs. The battery interconnect assembly may further include a retention structure formed of overmolded material and including a plurality of columnar structures for holding the cell in a fixed position relative to the battery interconnect assembly. The battery interconnect assembly may further comprise a sensing layer overmolded within the battery interconnect assembly, the sensing layer including a trace for communicating the sensed signal to the communication connector, the sensed signal attached to the battery interconnect assembly. At least one of a sensed voltage associated with the battery pack and a temperature associated with the thermistor sensing a temperature at a location within the battery pack.

An exemplary embodiment includes an electronic system comprising a battery interconnect assembly as described above, wherein the electronic system further includes: a first group of cells and a second polar terminal, each having a first polar terminal and a second polar terminal; A second group; The first plate comprises a first fragment and a second fragment; The second plate comprises a third fragment and a fourth fragment; The first fragment is electrically connected to the third fragment through the first group of cells; The first fragment is connected to the first polar terminal of the first group of cells; The third fragment is connected to the second polar terminal of the first group of cells; The third fragment is electrically connected to the second fragment through the second group of cells; The third fragment is connected to the first polar terminal of the second group of cells; The second fragment is connected to the second polar terminal of the second group of cells.

In the battery interconnect assembly, the first plate may comprise a first piece and a second piece, and the second plate may comprise a third piece and a fourth piece; The third fragment is aligned with the portion of the first fragment and the second fragment, and the second fragment is aligned with the portion of the third fragment and the portion of the fourth fragment. In the battery interconnect assembly, the first plate comprises a first piece and a second piece, and the second plate comprises a third piece and a fourth piece; The third fragment is aligned with the portion of the first fragment and the second fragment, and the second fragment is aligned with the portion of the third fragment and the portion of the fourth fragment; A portion of the first fragment and the third fragment is configured to be aligned with the first group of cells when connected to the battery pack, the first fragment is configured to be connected to the terminals of the first polarity of the first group of cells, A portion of the three fragments is configured to be connected to a terminal of the second polarity of the first group of cells; The portion of the second fragment and the portion of the third fragment are configured to be aligned with the second group of cells when connected to the battery pack, and the portion of the second fragment is connected to the terminals of the second polarity of the first group of cells. And a portion of the third fragment is configured to be connected to the terminal of the first polarity of the first group of cells. In the battery interconnect assembly, the first plate comprises a first piece and a second piece, the second plate comprises a third piece and a fourth piece, with the most negative to most positive electrical flow path Through the cell, it proceeds from the first fragment to the third fragment, from the third fragment to the second fragment, and from the second fragment to the fourth fragment. The first tap can include a fuse structure that insulates the cell from the rest of the plurality of cells if the current through the first tap exceeds a threshold for a predetermined amount of time. The battery interconnect assembly may further comprise a negative power connection point and a positive power connection point, located at the same end of the battery interconnect assembly. The battery interconnect assembly may further comprise a negative power connection point and a positive power connection point located in the battery interconnect assembly.

In an exemplary embodiment, an interconnect assembly for electrically connecting a plurality of cells of a battery pack includes: a first plate and a second plate, the first plate comprising: a first window; A first tab associated with a first window, comprising: a first tab configured to connect a first plate to a first terminal of a cell of a plurality of cells of a battery pack; A second window, the second plate being parallel to the first plate and at least partially overlapping with the first plate, the second plate being: a third window aligned with the first window, the first tab being the third window; A third window, extended through; A fourth window aligned with the second window; And a second tab associated with the fourth window, the second tab configured to connect the second plate to the second terminal of the cell. The overmolded material includes openings shaped to conform to the shape of the top portion of the cell to receive and hold the cell in a fixed position relative to the first and second plates.

In another exemplary embodiment, an electrical system includes: an interconnect assembly comprising a first plate and a second plate stacked on the first plate, wherein the first plate and the second plate comprise weld tabs; And a plurality of cells comprising a first group of cells, a second group of cells, and a third group of cells, wherein the interconnect assembly is connected to an upper portion of the plurality of cells, the plurality of cells of the plurality of cells Each cell comprising a battery pack comprising a first terminal of a first polarity and a second terminal of a second polarity; The weld tab on the interconnect assembly serves as the only mechanical connection from the interconnect assembly to the battery pack, and the interconnect assembly is a floating interconnect assembly.

Another exemplary embodiment includes an interconnect assembly for electrically connecting a plurality of cells of a battery pack, wherein the plurality of cells comprises a first group of cells, a second group of cells, and a third group of cells, The interconnect assembly includes: a first plate; And a second plate; The first plate forms a series connection between the first group of cells and the second group of cells; The second plate forms a series connection between the second group of cells and the third group of cells; The first and second plates are electrically connected to the plurality of cells through tabs extending into the window in each plate. The first plate may further comprise a first tab, and additionally includes a vision window, wherein the vision window includes a positive terminal tab and a negative terminal tab, and the shoulder of one cell of the first group of cells. It is shaped to expose a portion. The first plate may be formed from a stack of plates, each plate in the stack being configured to individually convey a portion of the total current flowing through the first plate. Each plate in the stacked plates may include positive tabs and / or negative tabs; The tab from each plate extends out of the plane of the first plate towards each cell of the first group of cells or the second group of cells. The interconnect assembly may only be supported or connected to the component via sensor wires, power connections, and other data communication connections (instead of through the welding tabs). The interconnect assembly may be a floating interconnect assembly. The battery pack may comprise a temperature sensing ribbon, the temperature sensing ribbon comprising a ribbon with a surface mount thermistor, the temperature sensing ribbon comprising: a first group of cells, at a level between the top and bottom of the cell, the first group of cells; Two groups, and at least one of the third group of cells, extending through and between the cells, wherein at least one of the first group of cells, the second group of cells, and the third group of cells Extends with the cell; The temperature sensing ribbon is configured to sense the temperature of the intermediate cell in the battery pack.

 Although the principles of this disclosure have been illustrated in various embodiments, the structures, arrangements, ratios, elements, materials, and constructions employed in practical use, specifically designed for specific environmental and operational requirements, without departing from the principles and scope of such disclosure, Many modifications of the components may be used. Such and other changes or modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure and may be expressed in the following claims.

The present disclosure has been described with reference to various embodiments. However, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the specification is to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this disclosure. Likewise, advantages, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to various embodiments. However, advantages, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element (s) that can make or become more significant any benefit, advantage, and solution can be made important, required of any or all claims, Or as essential features or elements.

As used herein, the term “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other modified term thereof is intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion and thus a process, method comprising a list of elements. An article, article, or apparatus does not include only such elements, but may include other elements that are not explicitly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. As used herein, the terms "coupled", "coupled", or any other modified term thereof may be used to refer to a physical connection, an electrical connection, a magnetic connection, an optical connection, a communication connection, a functional connection, It is intended to cover thermal connections, and / or any other connections. When a language similar to “at least one of A, B, or C” or “at least one of A, B, and C” is used in the specification or claims, such phrases include: (1) at least one of A; (2) at least one of B; (3) at least one of C; (4) at least one of A and at least one of B; (5) at least one of B and at least one of C; (6) at least one of A and at least one of C; Or (7) any one of at least one of A, at least one of B, and at least one of C.

Claims (21)

A battery interconnect assembly for electrically connecting a plurality of cells of a battery pack:
A first plate and a second plate parallel to the first plate and at least partially overlapping the first plate,
The first plate
First window;
A first tab associated with the first window, the first tab configured to connect the first plate to a first terminal of a cell of the plurality of cells of the battery pack,
The second plate is
A second window aligned with the first window, the second tab extending through the second window;
A second tab associated with the second window, the second tab configured to connect the second plate to the second terminal of the cell,
The first plate being physically separated from the second plate, the first plate electrically connected to the second plate through the cell, the first terminal having a first polarity and the second terminal having a second polarity Interconnect assembly. The method of claim 1,
The battery interconnect assembly of claim 1, wherein the first plate comprises a laminate formed of a first conductive plate and a second conductive plate. The method of claim 2,
The battery interconnect assembly of claim 1, wherein the first tab is disposed on the first conductive plate and the second conductive plate comprises an empty window associated with the first tab. The method of claim 1,
A sensing layer overmolded within the battery interconnect assembly, the sensing layer including a trace for communicating the sensed signal to the communication connector, the sensed signal being associated with a battery pack attached to the battery interconnect assembly; And at least one of a voltage and a temperature associated with the thermistor sensing a temperature at a location within the battery pack. The method of claim 1,
The first plate comprises a first fragment and a second fragment; The second plate comprises a third fragment and a fourth fragment; And the third fragment is aligned with the portion of the first fragment and the second fragment, and the second fragment is aligned with the portion of the third fragment and the portion of the fourth fragment. The method of claim 1,
The first plate comprises the first fragment and the second fragment, and the second plate comprises the third fragment and the fourth fragment;
The third fragment is aligned with the portion of the first fragment and the second fragment, and the second fragment is aligned with the portion of the third fragment and the portion of the fourth fragment;
A portion of the first fragment and the third fragment is configured to be aligned with the first group of cells when connected to the battery pack, the first fragment is configured to be connected to the terminals of the first polarity of the first group of cells, A portion of the three fragments is configured to be connected to a terminal of the second polarity of the first group of cells; And
The portion of the second fragment and the portion of the third fragment are configured to be aligned with the second group of cells when connected to the battery pack, and the portion of the second fragment is connected to the terminals of the second polarity of the first group of cells. And a portion of the third piece is configured to be connected to a terminal of a first polarity of the first group of cells. The method of claim 1,
The first plate comprises a first piece and a second piece, the second plate comprises a third piece and a fourth piece, the plurality of cells in which the most negative to positive electrical flow path comprises a battery pack. Wherein the battery interconnect assembly proceeds from the first fragment to the third fragment, from the third fragment to the second fragment, and from the second fragment to the fourth fragment through the attached cell. The method of claim 1,
The first tab includes a fuse structure that insulates the cell from the rest of the plurality of cells when the current through the first tab exceeds a threshold for a predetermined amount of time. An interconnect assembly for electrically connecting a plurality of cells of a battery pack, the plurality of cells comprising a first group of cells, a second group of cells, and a third group of cells, wherein the interconnect assembly comprises:
First edition; And
A second plate;
The first plate forms a series connection between the first group of cells and the second group of cells;
The second plate forms a series connection between the second group of cells and the third group of cells; And
The first and second plates are electrically connected to the plurality of cells through tabs extending into windows within each plate. The method of claim 9,
An interconnect assembly, wherein the first and second plates comprise a single layer, and the first and second plates are common planar. The method of claim 10,
First Edition:
First window;
A first tab associated with a first window, the first tab configured to connect a first plate to a first cell first terminal of a first group of cells;
Second window; And
A second tab associated with the second window, the second tab configured to connect the first plate to a second cell first terminal of the second group of cells; And
Second edition:
Third window; And
A third tab associated with the third window, the third tab configured to connect the second plate to the second cell second terminal of the second group of cells; And
Fourth window; And
And a fourth tab associated with the fourth window, the fourth tab configured to connect the second plate to the third cell first terminal of the third group of cells. The method of claim 9,
The interconnect assembly further comprises a first layer comprising a first plate, and a second layer comprising a second plate; And the first plate and the second plate at least partially overlap. The method of claim 12,
Further comprising a separator disposed between the first layer and the second layer to electrically insulate the first layer from the second layer. The method of claim 13,
And the first layer is electrically connected to the second layer through at least one of the plurality of cells, the first layer being parallel to the second layer and at least partially overlapping the second layer. The method of claim 14,
The first layer further comprises a third plate parallel to the first plate and electrically connected to the first plate;
The second layer further comprises a fourth plate parallel to the second plate and electrically connected to the second plate;
The first plate includes a first window and a second window, the third plate includes a third window and a fourth window, the second plate includes a fifth window, and the fourth plate includes a sixth window. and;
The first plate includes a first tab and a second tab, the third plate includes a third tab and a fourth tab, the second plate includes a fifth tab, and the fourth plate includes a sixth tab. and;
The first tab is configured to connect the first plate to a first polarity terminal of the first cell of the first group of cells;
The third tab is configured to connect the third plate to the first polarity terminal of the second cell of the first group of cells;
The second tab is configured to connect the first plate to a second polarity terminal of the first cell of the second group of cells;
The fourth tab is configured to connect the third plate to the second polarity terminal of the second cell of the second group of cells;
The fifth tab is configured to connect the fourth plate to the first polarity terminal of the second cell of the second group of cells;
The sixth tab is configured to connect the second plate to the first polarity terminal of the first cell of the second group of cells. The method of claim 15,
The first assembly in the first plate is aligned with the other windows in each of the second plate, the third plate, and the fourth plate. The method of claim 16,
The interconnect assembly of claim 1, wherein the first tab extends through a window in each of the second, third, and fourth plates. The method of claim 15,
The tab assembly on the interconnect assembly serves as the only mechanical connection between the interconnect assembly and the battery pack. The method of claim 11,
The window assembly is configured as a vision window shaped to expose at least 1/6 of the circumference of the first cell to assist in aligning the laser welding beam with the terminals of the first tab and the first cell. The method of claim 9,
The first plate comprises three sub-plates stacked together, the first sub-plate coupling one third of the first group of cells to one third of the second group of cells, and the second sub-plate. The plate couples one third of the first group of cells to one third of the second group of cells, and the third sub-plate is one third of the first group of cells. An interconnect assembly, coupled to the / 3. The method of claim 20,
The first sub-panel comprises a plurality of windows consisting of tabs therein, the second sub-panel comprises a plurality of empty windows, and the third sub-panel comprises a plurality of empty windows, accordingly When the first sub-panel, the second sub-panel, and the third sub-panel are stacked on top of each other, a plurality of windows made up of internal tabs align with empty windows of the second sub-panel and empty windows of the third sub-panel. Interconnect assembly.

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